Research News Last updated 11 December
A groundbreaking project to develop new music-making technology for people with complex disabilities is one of 35 from across the West Midlands to win key funding from the game-changing CreaTech Frontiers.
Dyskinetic Ltd is led by Kris Halpin, who is developing a new generation of accessible tools to help disabled musicians compose and perform and will work with Birmingham City University (BCU) to develop it.
“I’m a disabled musician myself, so that experience led us on a journey of making music more accessible,” Kris said.
“There is some wearable technology already available, but it isn’t always appropriate or useful, particularly for those with complex disabilities.
“CreaTech Frontiers is giving us an opportunity to network and find people with skills that we don’t have so we can work together to create something incredible.”
Dyskinetic Ltd is one of 35 small businesses and entrepreneurs awarded up to £10,000 from CreaTech Frontiers, a five-year, £7.2m creative industries cluster programme, funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council.
Made up of BCU, University of Birmingham, Coventry University, University of Warwick, the Royal Shakespeare Company and Digital Catapult, it was formed to support the next generation of innovation in the region’s booming creative economy.
“The creative industries are the heart of everything that as a society we should value,” said Professor Lamberto Coccioli, Director of CreaTech Frontiers.
“The West Midlands has so much talent, too, but a lot of small businesses work in isolation. We want to ensure they don’t have to go to London to access facilities and technology because it’ll be on their doorstep. In the long term, we want to build an industry that is self-reliant and attracts investment from across the UK and globally.”
The successful applicants, whose diverse R&D projects span robotics, LED fabrics, immersive experiences and gaming, will receive a share of £315,000 as well as six months of access to advanced facilities, academic expertise, mentoring and business support.
Digital Catapult, which has joined the programme to deliver acceleration and prototyping support, emphasised the national impact of the initiative.
“We recognise the value of providing deep tech startups with access to the facilities, expertise and capabilities necessary to enable them to scale,” said Laura Helm, Head of Creative Industries at Digital Catapult.
“This is why programmes like CreaTech Frontiers are of immense value to the UK’s creative industries and the economy more broadly, convening capabilities to advance the practical application of deep tech innovation in industry and equip the UK to be future ready.”
The next call of funding will be launched in early 2026.
Photo: Successful applicants and CreaTech Frontiers team